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Jobs in this field are only expected to grow, but workers’ skills aren’t keeping pace. To help everyone thrive in the jobs of tomorrow, tech is leading the effort to train and retrain workers to adapt their skills for jobs in automation, advanced manufacturing and computer science.

As part of that effort, tech is partnering with universities, professional organizations and community groups to make sure that no matter where they are in their career, workers can access the training they need for high-skilled, good-paying jobs.

The Adobe Digital Academy, launched in 2016, serves as an alternative and accelerated pathway into tech careers for candidates from nontraditional backgrounds. Through the program, Adobe sponsors scholarships and living stipends for career switchers ... Read More

The Adobe Digital Academy, launched in 2016, serves as an alternative and accelerated pathway into tech careers for candidates from nontraditional backgrounds. Through the program, Adobe sponsors scholarships and living stipends for career switchers to attend a three-month web development bootcamp. Bootcamp graduates have the opportunity to interview for a technical internship at Adobe, and after the internship, many go on to full-time entry-level software engineering roles. During the Digital Academy, candidates are supported by a system of mentors, ongoing feedback and a close community of fellow participants. The goal of the Adobe Digital Academy is to give participants the education, tools and opportunity they need to be hired full-time and succeed long-term, whether at Adobe or in the tech industry in general. So far, the program has provided 59 scholarships, with 80% of those candidates going on to technical internships at Adobe, and many being placed in full-time roles.

Archy Posada

Archy Posada, a graduate of Adobe Digital Academy who is currently an Adobe product manager, said the program changed his life. After being shot six times in Los Angeles, he left town ready to start a new life. “At that point I made the decision to move to San Francisco,” he says. “I drove up there without a job, without even a place to stay.” He spent several years job-hopping by day and teaching himself web development skills by night, until he stumbled upon a free web development tutorial that was actually part of an application for the Adobe Digital Academy. After finishing the tutorial, he was contacted by a recruiter who asked him to complete the actual application. Archy did, and, to his surprise, he was accepted into the program.

Adobe provided a scholarship and living stipend for Archy to enroll in a three-month web development bootcamp course. After his training, Archy moved on to the internship component of the program, working with one of Adobe’s product teams. Just two months into the three-month program, his entire team was so impressed that they advocated to keep him on permanently, and Archy was offered a full-time position with the team. “I’m working with an amazing team of people that believe in me and encourage me and empower me to develop and grow and challenge me every day,” Archy says. “This program was like an act of divine intervention for me.”

IBM's Career Re-Entry Program trains technical individuals who are re-entering their careers. The program partnered with the Society of Women Engineers and iRelaunch through the STEM Re-Entry Taskforce to create a 12-week internship program, ... Read More

IBM's Career Re-Entry Program trains technical individuals who are re-entering their careers. The program partnered with the Society of Women Engineers and iRelaunch through the STEM Re-Entry Taskforce to create a 12-week internship program, beginning with a 3-day orientation on best practices for a successful career. Interns are placed at IBM, matched with a technical mentor and given challenging technical assignments, which provide an easier transition back to working full time and valuable work experience. Since 2016, 70 individuals have gone through the program and over 90 percent have been recommended for full time employment at IBM. The program has been so successful there are now pilots across the globe.

Priti Shah

Priti Shah had worked in tech for over 10 years. Throughout her career, she obtained a PhD, wrote software for 3D printers, automated testing for optical networks, and more. And then, unexpectedly, she took a step back. In Priti’s words, “I wanted to be the one to raise my children.”

She worried that deciding to have a family could have meant the end of her career. “I'm never going to be able to work as an engineer or software developer again,” she told herself. But, more than a decade later, her youngest son went off to college, and a friend directed her to IBM’s Tech Re-Entry Program. She soon became an apprentice in the program, where she was assigned a mentor and received the support she needed to get started again. Today, thanks to IBM, Priti works in quantum computing and builds code in C++ and Python. Speaking about her experience in the program, she said: “I feel like a rock star.”

Microsoft’s Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) -- in partnership with Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University and St. Martin’s University -- provides transitioning service members and veterans with training in cloud computing, cybersecurity, database ... Read More

Microsoft’s Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) -- in partnership with Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University and St. Martin’s University -- provides transitioning service members and veterans with training in cloud computing, cybersecurity, database management and business intelligence training. Graduates of the program are then given the opportunity to interview for a full-time job at Microsoft or one of their hiring partners.

Solaire Brown

When Solaire Brown returned from her deployment in Afghanistan, she was nervous about her career prospects. After sustaining heavy injuries overseas, multiple surgeries had left Solaire unsure about what her place in the workforce would be.

That’s when she found out about Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA), an 18-week program directed at veterans and transitioning service members. MSSA provides training in critical skills such as intelligence administration, cybersecurity and cloud development. Its graduates go on to high-paying jobs in the tech industry.

“I feel like I have so many new opportunities at my fingertips,” said Solaire, who received seven job offers after her time in MSSA. “I have the ability to contribute.”

Solaire did her part for the country, and now companies like Microsoft hope to do their part for her.